


Never Said Nothing

by esterbrook



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Graduation, Jack being Jack, Jack knew last, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 04:08:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6104437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esterbrook/pseuds/esterbrook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If someone stopped him right now, on his dash across campus, and asked him what he's doing, he'd say he has no idea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Said Nothing

**Author's Note:**

> Written fast, not betaed.

Jack doesn't know what he's doing.

If someone stopped him right now and asked him why he's dashing across campus, he'd say he has no idea. Okay, that's not true. He'd say "get out of my way." He needs to get to the Haus before Bittle leaves for the airport, because he said goodbye all wrong.

What's the matter with him? Saying "see you" like he's not going to be sleeping in Providence tonight instead of across the hall from Bittle like he has for the last eight months. Oh, sure, he'll drive up in August or September when everyone comes back to class, but that'll be an afternoon. Maybe a weekend. That's not the same as seeing Bittle tousled and grumpy at ass o'clock three mornings a week, or listening to him forgetting not to sing in the shower, or sitting next to him in class while he snickers at Jack's inability to take notes without sketching hockey plays.

"See you." Like it's no big deal.

 _Crisse_. It _is_ a big deal. He just didn't realize it until Bittle made that comment about seeing him next on tv. Like Bittle thought he meant nothing, like he thought Jack would forget about their friendship as soon as he left campus. As if he didn't know Jack would miss him.

That's it, that's what he's doing: he's on his way to apologize for letting Bittle think Jack wouldn't miss him. Bittle will roll his eyes and say something entertainingly southern, and they'll make plans to talk or Skype or whatever while Bittle is down in Georgia, and —

He rounds the corner, robe fluttering behind him, just in time to see Bittle rolling his suitcase down the front stairs of the Haus toward a Super Shuttle van.

 _Shit_.

It wasn't a very long run, but he's suddenly surprisingly short of breath. He still manages to shout Bittle's name. Bittle leans out the door of the van as Jack jogs up the sidewalk.

"Jack!" Bittle's smile is puzzled but pleased. "Did you forget something?"

"No," he pants. "Well, yes. Sort of."

The driver throws Bittle's bag into the back of the van. Jack doesn't want to have a whole conversation in front of him and the handful of other shuttle passengers, but he can't exactly ask Bittle to get off the van and miss his flight just so Jack can say goodbye again.

"I just...I wanted to be sure you knew." Why is his chest so tight? "This year. You made me better."

Bittle's eyes go wide.

"Come on, kid, sit down or you're gonna make half a dozen people miss their flights," the driver snaps.

Bittle says "Oh," flustered in a way Jack's never seen him, and sits in the last empty seat. He stares out at Jack as the the side door slides shut, as the driver climbs into the front seat, as the van pulls away from the curb.

Jack watches it until it reaches the end of the block and makes the turn toward the highway. Then he sighs and starts walking slowly back toward Lake Quad. He still doesn't know what he's doing.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm aware this was jossed in less than 24 hours. I have never been so delighted to be wrong about my plot prediction.


End file.
